Saturday, July 22, 2017

Daily Bites of “From Communism to Christ”: Bite#15,Arriving in Barcelona

Introduction by Pearl L. Sturgis:Written by Richard John Kahler, Second Lieutenant of the International Brigade:

Some time in the 90’s, I, Pearl Sturgis, attended a little church in Airville, Pennsylvania. I met this guy named Richard John Kahler. During our controversy with the church over the newer Bible translations we left the church and started our private Bible Study group in our homes. There were only 5 of us but we had strong convictions that we would not use the newer translations as we were very much attached to our old family Bibles of the Authorized King James Version of 1611. This happened around the same time that I discovered the truth about the Protestant Reformers and how in God’s Providence christians were led to America as they fled from religious persecution. The very reason they came to the new world was for freedom of worship.They pursued the God given right to worship the Lord under the dictates of their own conscience. It was not to worship just any god but to worship the One and Only God and Savior who died for the whole world and to proclaim liberty for all the inhabitants thereof, as the Lord commanded in Leviticus 25:10 which is engraved on our Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to this day (June 2017). During our Bible Study Richard (Dick) Kahler gave all 5 of us a copy of his testimony which he had typed by hand and never published. I am so ashamed to say that I stuck this little 18 page booklet away in my book shelf and never read it until today, June 9,2017. There was so much going on at that time (1990’s) as we were building our house and starting our own Landscaping business. Eventually the little Bible Study group broke up and we moved to different churches. I heard Dick had died and I was invited to the service. I regret deeply that I did not attend. I never knew much about Dick until today after reading his remarkable testimony. I remember him telling the stories of how he was suppose to kill and bury the victims and instead he hid them. For some odd reason I didn’t have sense enough to pay attention back then. Now I will do the Daily Bits of his AMAZING testimony by submitting word for word the testimony of Lieutenant Richard John Kahler from Red Lion, Pennsylvania......”From Communism to Christ:”

Daily Bites of “From Communism to Christ”

Bite#15,Arriving in Barcelona:

by Richard John Kahler

The next day we woke early in the hotel lobby. Our friend brought us food from the kitchen. we ate and started on our way. The man at the hotel told us where to go to get a ride on a truck. We asked and made motions that we wanted a ride. After a while a driver motioned us to come so we got on the back. When we got a few miles out of Valencia we saw the shells hitting the highway and some trucks were hit.

The drivers were killed and supplies were strewn all over the place. this driver was pretty clever. He would go fast and slow down to throw the artillery gunners off their target. We finally got clear of the shelling of the road and continued our journey northward. We went north east along the Mediterranean coast which is about 350 miles from Valencia.

When we got to Barcelona we went to a large building called the “Delegation”... a large headquarters of the International Brigades to be reassigned to either our original outfit or wherever they felt we were most needed or most suited. They sent me to a work group while Smitty and Oklahoma were sent to different places. I do not recall seeing either one of those men again until we were sent home which was 14 months later.

I have never seen Oklahoma since then but Smitty and I were sent home together. Smitty said that he and Oklahoma were split up but he heard that Oklahoma was killed in action. We were stationed in Barcelona a week or two along the Mediterranean on a strip of beach where there were bath houses where people used for swimming. They were our barracks to live in and sleep in while we were there. Everyday the enemy bombers would come over from the Balearic Islands which were 200 miles off the coast of Spain. They learned we were on that beach and bombed it quite often.